Top Ten Tips to good Business Information Management

Collect as much information as possible about your customers/clients, and ensure it is kept up to date. The more you know about them, the better placed you’ll be able to meet their needs both now and in the future.

Work out a realistic, achievable plan for developing your business. Review and monitor your progress with genuine information rather than guesswork.

Ask questions all the time, and make sure you have the means to provide the answers.

Use an appropriate tool to store your data. You and your team must be able not only to put information in, but also to get information out.

Understand your market – research your competitors and the products/services they offer. Work out how your business compares to theirs, and what makes you better.

Have an accurate detailed breakdown of your costs so that you can identify real profit when you see it.

Technology is there to help you, not to confuse you. Never accept a solution that you don’t feel you will be able to make work for you.

Make sure you and your staff are properly trained to use the tools you’ve provided, and are following the same working practices. Training is an expense, but mistakes can be even more costly!

Consider whether the information you give your potential customers is giving the right message. If producing simple, effective, grammatically sound text is not your thing, get someone else to do it. Whether online or on paper, what you say about your business is often their first impression – make sure it looks and sounds professional.

Keep your data safe by encouraging good IT practices throughout your business – every member of your team has a key part to play in this, so don’t just hope they understand the risks – tell them!

Contact me for a free initial discussion about the challenges faced by your business.